As The Seasons Turn
by wolfchic011
Summary: Elsa, Anna and their new family have settled into life in Arendelle after the events of the Council of the Four Seasons. But now that Theonia is returning to fulfill her new role in their lives, things may get complicated, particularly for the Snow Queen. As a new era of magic and goddesses looms on the horizon, what changes are coming to the world? Sequel to Council!
1. Prologue

**Prologue: Ileana's dark prophecy**

 _In the final days of her life, Ileana grew more and more agitated. As her vision began to fade, her Sight grew ever stronger, much as Isen's had in the world they had left behind. There was no solace in sleep, for her dreams only grew to haunt her as nightmares. With her lover harried and driven mad by the endless stories and legends Branna was making her record, and with Ava and Kaya traveling so often, she had none to voice her anguish to. All of them were anxious, all of them feared the next stage, whatever it may be. Branna was certain all her knowledge of the stories from their home realm would be lost, just as Isen was sure her Sight would fade with Ileana's life. But where Branna could hope to preserve her knowledge by making Erin fill every book in their library, Isen had no such outlet. Ileana would sit for hours in a tiny room in the most secluded wing of the temple, her ice expanding and contracting endlessly as she fought the onslaught of visions tormenting her, her blinding eyes staring at nothing. She had nothing to safeguard her power, she never had. In the past, she would have gone to Erin without hesitation, begging her to ease her visions by recording them for future meditations. But the things she saw now, she could not bear to let her love know of. Her visions were of the end of days, of their Mother crying out in pain and their people suffering in their absence. She saw the Great Tree die again and again, as if an entire forest had been cut by her sister's sword. She saw the dust from the Great Tree as if it were a plague, eating away at the realm they had landed in, and_ Verdener _glowing maliciously from its hidden lair. She saw the missing Shard of_ Evigsmerte _spinning endlessly, its power untethered and loose upon the world. And at the end of it all, there was always one thing. Great Darkness. And her soul would cry out, yearning to join that Darkness, to give herself over to its great power and vanish within its embrace…_

 _She could not let such a blasphemous thought be known to her sisters._

 _But on some nights, when the visions became too much to bear, she would stumble to the library, grope in the darkness for whatever book Erin had left out from her days of furious scribbling and blindly scrawl her thoughts across the page…_

 _And in one such book, detailing the lost legend of how the spirits fell to Earth, she wrote her Dark Prophecy._

 _-from the writings of Sophie, the great Fire Goddess incarnate, Kingdom of Arendelle, Mid-Winter, 1821_

* * *

 _Province of Weselton, 1814_

He'd always hated winter.

Snow crunched under his boots as he crossed the divide between hemlock forest and pine woods that most would not have distinguished. The tough old boots gripped the snow mercilessly, cutting into the thin layer of ice above the powder, leaving cracked footprints behind him. The landscape rose gently under his feet, sloping into a gradual incline that made him lean forwards slightly as he walked. The crossbow slung across his back and the twin short swords at his waist thumped out counter melodies to his footsteps as he climbed, the wood of his bolts creaking off key.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled, calling his brothers to the hunt. He acknowledged the sound and shifted his course slightly to the east, aiming to now trek around the valley rather than through it. The wolves were hunting. But they would not be hunting him.

His Sami clothes held back the cold effortlessly; his moist breath filled the scarf across his face and warmed the air before he breathed it. Snow caked into the folds of the leather and ice dripped from the front of his scarf. He'd been walking non-stop for days, pausing only for a few sips from open streams to quench his thirst. He'd not slept or eaten at all during that time. His job was too important for such trivial things.

The parcel tapping his thigh with every step pulsed with a heartbeat of its own, racing his so that he felt as if he were being hunted; chased and teased by some devil just over his shoulder. But he would not let himself succumb to that superstition. He had been chosen for this mission specifically because of his abilities to keep a level head and not panic.

He held no more fear towards the blade of his enemy, the supernatural forces, or his funeral pyre than he did the leaf fluttering mutely to the snow before him. If death came for him now, so be it. He was at peace with his gods.

A furry form burst through the brush ahead. It was a handsome, low-running lone wolf, split off from the pack to search out possible prey. Before it even registered his presence among the trees, he had his crossbow loaded and at his shoulder.

The hunter skidded to a halt, panting on the ice, his deep green eyes burning into the human's.

The human lifted his bow, his heart steady. It was kill or be killed out here. As the wolf drew breath to summon his pack, the human fired. The bolt tore straight through the beast's throat and embedded itself in the tree beyond. The silenced hunter collapsed on the snow, bleeding profusely and whining silently. The human crossed to him and placed a gentle hand on the beast's head. He waited with the hunter until the light dimmed from his eyes, the green fire fading into the air around him and passing on. He gently closed the wolf's eyes and continued on his way, plucking the bolt from the tree as he passed.

In his employer's' circles, he was known only as the Mercenary.

The next few hours of his journey were uneventful and he soon found himself gazing upon the walled city of Benton, the capitol of the Weselton Province and home of his most recent employer. The gates were closed for the night, but he had never entered the city through a gate.

Loading the same bolt that had killed the wolf, he took aim and fired, watching as the rope tied to his shot whipped in the air behind it. The bolt struck less than a foot below the crest of the wall, the rope dangling two feet above the ground.

He swiftly climbed the wall and dropped onto the parapet, pulling his bolt from the stone and winding the rope around a guard post to assist his drop onto the nearby roofs. The thatch and tiles under his feet were icier than the forest floor but it was no challenge for him. He darted through the city like a shadow, climbing higher as the rooftops rose until the palace came into view. Another perfect shot and rope climb later, he was at his employer's window.

He offered only three short taps before he slid one of his finest blades between the windows, tripping the latch and allowing the window to swing open.

He dropped silently to the floor and rose with his head bowed. Warmth slowly seeped into him from a fire burning across the chamber.

His employer glanced up from a large chair by the fire. "Ah, my Mercenary has returned." The small man rose, hurrying to stand before the man. He placed his small, warm hands on the younger man's head. "Excellent, my boy. How did the journey agree with you?"

The Mercenary raised his head and offered his employer the smallest of smiles. "Most well, my Lord." He was a man of few words but the Duke seemed to love him all the more for it.

The Duke's eyes gleamed in the firelight, clearly picking up on his employees' triumphant air. "Were you successful?" He whispered, the corners of his moustache twitching, his warm hands trembling against his face. The cold air coming in the window was fogging up the oversized glasses the little man wore.

The Mercenary reached behind him and carefully untied the parcel from its resting place. He presented it to the Duke with his head bowed low. "I have found it, my Lord."

He could hear the Duke breathing fast and shallow, overjoyed and just a little frightened of what he was being offered. "Excellent work…"

The Mercenary did not reply. He had only followed orders. Nothing less was to be expected.

The Duke softly plucked the parcel from his Mercenary's hands, hurriedly placing it on a side table next to the fire. The little man turned back to his employee, rubbing his hands as if to remove something unpleasant from them.

"And your master? He has agreed to our terms?"

The Mercenary blinked but allowed no shift in his emotion to show on his face. "My master will do his part. But he wishes to make it clear that he does not follow your orders."

The Duke sniffed in disapproval but he did not voice his disdain for the Mercenary's Master.

"Very well. How long until you can go out again?"

He could have left immediately if he really wanted to. "I can leave at dawn, my lord."

The Duke nodded his approval. "Good…good." He turned to the wall, where an enormous map detailed countries and trade routes. Many of the routes had been violently erased and the names of countries scratched away until the wall behind showed. The Duke lowered his voice, a darkness seeping into his generally bouncy demeanor. "After all this time, we will finally have our revenge on Arendelle…and Queen Elsa will fall…"

The Mercenary was still but he watched his employer through narrowed eyes, his shadow wavering in the light.

Fingers shaking, the Duke reached for the edges of the package. He unwrapped the parcel carefully to reveal a single metallic shard that shimmered wickedly in the flickering firelight.

"The Winter is coming to an end…and Summer shall reign once more."

* * *

Far away, in a temple hidden so deep in the mountains that no human had ever laid eyes on it, a young woman was preparing to end her life.

The instant before she plunged the blade into her heart, she heard a soft voice call her name.

As they always had, the seasons continued to turn amidst life, death, darkness, and change.

* * *

A.N. Yep! I'm baaaaacccckkk!

Special thanks to cinnamonpearl for editing and dragonheart77 for spawning some of the ideas I will be lovingly appropriating into this sequel! As with the original, my updates will most likely be painfully slow. But this story will hopefully be shorter and therefore take less time to publish! I have an outline and I'm going to stick to it dammit! Right now, it's got me at ten chapters (which probably means this will be 13 when all's said and done…).

Anyway, thank you for reading and I look forward to continuing the adventures of Elsa and the Goddesses!


	2. Autumn's Changes (part 1)

**Chapter 1: Autumn's Changes (part 1)  
**

 _They were twelve when it happened first._

 _Bartholomew was always warning them not to over-exert themselves when using their powers. With their bodies weakened, the spirits could take control. At any moment, if they were weak enough, a spirit would surge forward in their consciousness and they would lose control over their form._

 _If Bartholomew was not around to administer the Mother's Sacred Binding Spell, the spirits threatened to lose their host in their all-consuming rage or sorrow at their banishment to this world._

 _Ileana nearly died in such a case._

 _It had been after a fight with both Erin and Kaya. Something frivolous that none of the Spirits had found the need to listen too or intervene in. But as Summer and Autumn fought Winter, it was only natural that the unmatched two-on-one fight tire out the host of winter completely. Filled with anger and sadness, Ileana blacked out, her consciousness slipping away deep inside of her to the recesses where the snows of Winter fell constantly in her mind._

 _And Isen surged forward, her own form unused to being so dormant, to not moving and Singing through her own body. She came fully into Ileana's skin, her ice coating the fair skin and her light pouring from the child's blue eyes. But as she opened her mouth to Sing freely, all that escaped her was her winter air. And the horrific sound of Ileana screaming._

 _The child was crying out in pain and disorientation, unable to stop her own body from moving, from being filled so completely with such terrible power. The spirit had shoved her out, forcing her consciousness into the very smallest corner at the back of their shared mind. There she sat in a tiny, freezing cell, her pain the same as that of the cast-out spirit's. But hers was a human form, unable to carry such torment._

 _Isen was unable to stop. She could not retreat with her power spilling out so uncontrollably. Her selfish admittance of the Darkness upon Ileana's weakness had set off this cataclysmic spiral. Snow filled the room, icy gales whipped her sisters back. Even Erin could not reach her, Branna's thawing flames nowhere near powerful enough to combat a storm like this._

 _All seemed lost._

 _But just as Ileana was turning completely to ice, Bartholomew was upon them, summoned by the internal sense that resonated within him even from halfway across the Temple as his girls screamed._

 _He faced the Sorrow of Winter with nothing but his Gauntlets and fought his way towards Ileana's form. With two quick jabs, he administered the Binding Spell. Isen fell into unconsciousness and Ileana came forward again. The Darkness rushed out. She lived._

 _But it was too late. Ileana was already beginning to lose herself. After that day, her sight slowly faded until she became as blind as Isen did before she left the Mother's Realm. Erin never left her side after that, vowing to always be her guiding light in the growing darkness._

 _The spirits, hosts, and their Guardian were all more careful after that, but even Bartholomew the Unconquerable could not always protect the goddesses from the temptation of a human form._

 _Similar instances occurred with both Kaya and Ava not long after, with both Livet and Død succumbing to the dark desire of having their own flesh once more and causing their hosts terrible distress. Only Branna remained strong enough to not take control of her host. Perhaps because she had fought the Darkness before. She knew the power and the sorrow of giving in._

 _After Bartholomew gave his life rescuing Kaya from Død, the spirits vowed never again to control a host without mutual permission. These young humans had given their forms, their lives so that they might exist in this world. Should they not treat them with respect and honor for that? All four of them made a pact, sealed in the first meeting of the Council and made into the 2nd Decree by the Mother Herself:_ Above all else, the host is to be honored.

 _What the great spirits did not know was that their actions that day set in motion a chain of events that would alter the legends._

 _-from the writings of Sophie, the great Fire Goddess incarnate, Kingdom of Arendelle, Mid-Winter, 1821_

* * *

 _Arendelle Capitol 1814 (7 months since the_ Battle of the Seasons _)_

The sea air was unsettlingly fresh.

Brasov wandered through the marketplace, marveling at the openness such a notoriously secluded kingdom displayed within its own borders. The merchants all called out friendly greetings to shoppers, engaging in polite conversations with their clientele as they traded and bartered goods from across the kingdom. Smoked fish from the Arendelle waters reeked along the ripe juiciness of freshly picked berries from the highlands. Elaborate wooden carvings gleamed next to imported silks from the Far East.

He pulled his cloak tighter about him as a merchant hawking the silks tried to call out to him. A crisp autumn chill was beginning to settle across the fjord on this late summer's day. Idly, Brasov wondered if the queen was the source of it, or if this one was nature's doing.

 _I wonder if her subjects think the same…during long, hard winters, will they turn against her?_

He plucked a berry from the top of another merchant's display and popped it into his mouth. The tart juices darkened his tongue as he ate it. All around him was noise, aimless chatter about frivolous things. People unsettled him, especially in such large open areas like this. But he'd never let that show. Not here.

Brasov crossed the square to reach the center of the marketplace, where an enormous statue of pure ice gleamed defiantly in the warm summer sun. The subject was an enormous dragon, wings folded and jaws opened in what could be mistaken for a gentle smile. It was exquisitely carved, nearly lifelike in its fine detail and texture. As if it were about to spring to life and devour them all.

 _A reminder of her strength…even here._

Several small children were gathered around the base, apparently seeing which of them were brave enough to attempt to lick the statue. Thus far none had stepped forward. They were in awe of the creation, that much was certain.

Brasov admired the sculpture awhile longer, his eyes roaming over the fine scales and shapely muscles. He'd give the Queen this much, she clearly had the eye of an artist.

A figure across the marketplace caught his eye, moving just a bit too formally compared to the everyday marketplace rabble. Even from this far away, Brasov recognized the unmistakable nuances of a spy.

A spy he knew. His gaze darkened as he took in the reddish hair, the hooked nose. _What is he doing here?_

He stepped casually behind the statue as the man's eyes scanned the square, clearly looking for something. Looking for him probably. Too bad he'd spotted him first.

 _That fool…_

Brasov ducked around the statue, circling the square so as to approach the infiltrator from behind. It would be quick and unnoticeable. It would hardly be his first time taking someone out in the middle of a crowd.

He positioned himself at the entrance to a dim alleyway just off the main square, the spy a mere ten feet in front of him, inspecting a merchant's wares and making a horrible, half-hearted attempt at haggling a price down. Brasov felt for his knife and crouched lower. He had to wait for just the right moment…

The spy gave up, dropping the basket carelessly on the merchant's table and turning to walk away. Brasov's muscles tensed, readying for the strike.

But the moment before he could pounce on his unsuspecting target, a panicked shout rang out across the square, quickly spreading and growing until most of the marketplace shifted from a carefree hub to a murderous focal point.

Since he himself was not the source of it, Brasov's concentration broke and he stood up to try to view the one who was so despised by everyone here.

An older woman was pointing at someone in the middle of the square, standing next to the dragon statue. The old woman's wispy hair had fluttered out from under a bonnet and an array of fresh baguettes were scattered about her feet. She was shouting loudly and frantically. "Guards! Guards! It's the witch! The fire-witch is back!" The figure at the statue turned, one hand falling away from the finely-crafted scales. As her face was revealed, the entire crowd seemed to harden instantly.

With the atmosphere shifting so abruptly, Brasov lost interest in his target. Instead, he slipped back amongst the crowd, joining the murderous chant as he slithered closer to where the mob was thickening. Where a young woman in a dark cloak stared into the face of those calling for her blood without even blinking.

He glanced up and spotted a strange sight. A raven circled over the crowd, spiraling higher and higher before finally taking off towards the palace.

As for him, he melted into the crowd and watched.

* * *

Walking through her memories had gotten easier.

Elsa stared at the gleaming surface of Isen's mirror, centuries of memories stretching out beyond her inside of it. She saw hours of training sessions, four different hosts freezing their first drop of water, eight different host deaths, five different battles with summer's host whenever their anger got the better of them…

Outside of her meditative state, she felt her fist clench and hoary frost coat her shoulders and cheekbones. She didn't need reminders. She was looking for one thing in particular…

There.

The onslaught of memories slowed and she pushed the others back to bring her targeted memory to the mirror's surface. Her concentration rippled then sharpened considerably, drawing the memory into focus. It was an event from long ago, when one of Branna's hosts (Belle), had tried to force Branna to leave her. Belle had never been well-suited to being a host and her desperation had once driven her to attempt a split with Branna. It had not gone well. Her own host, Eirwen, had had to cool Belle's skin with ice as the temporary absence of the fire spirit from her had left her body badly burned and her mind feverous. Branna had snapped right back into Belle's skin, but the beautiful Belle had been horribly disfigured for the rest of her life. It had pained them all greatly to see such a beautiful host harmed so by a fact they could not change. Giving up a human form voluntarily, as easy as it was, meant certain death for their host.

Elsa let out a long breath and released the memory back within the swell of experiences. It was exactly as she feared. The host could not survive a spirit leaving.

Isen retreated from the ice palace within her mind, closing the door on the endless vortex of memories she sought to bring order to. Elsa slowly returned to consciousness from her meditative state, leaving the overwhelming number of memories inside of the structure she had built for them.

She opened her eyes to blackness. Elsa blinked hard and slowly, her vision began to return. _Odd…that's never happened before…maybe I was Seeing too long?_

A glance outside told her that she'd barely been searching her mind for half an hour. Hardly a long-stretch for her. She blinked the last of the dark spots from her vision and twisted slightly from side to side, stretching out her neck and back from her meditation.

 _A human form is so…difficult. Why would the Mother choose this realm for us? Perhaps it was the closest She could find? Maybe She likes humans?_

Elsa chuckled softly. She still could not get used to this duel mentality of thinking: one way as the young woman she knew she was and the other as an immortal goddess who was still sorting out her memories and identity.

Sometimes it still kept her up at night, wondering how she could balance this revelation with the life she knew. She needed time, she supposed. Time to adjust to this truth and learn how to handle everything it brought. But she often wondered how much time she would have like this. Immortal spirit in a mortal body. Could she even die?

It was too early for such morbid thoughts. The sunlight streaming in the window glinted off of the object of her meditation and Elsa stared intently at the tiny glass ball sitting on the floor in front of her. It was a perfect thing, smooth and round, shimmering in the afternoon sunlight streaming in the window, beams of red and blue warping across its surface.

It had consumed her full attention for days.

 _Perhaps she only left it here the first time she came…or after…_ she felt her cheeks heat up as memories of Theo's second visit came to mind. The lingering, steamy kiss…

Elsa shook her head, snorting angrily under her breath. This wasn't helping. After two days of trial and error, she'd only driven herself mad thinking of possible scenarios where this glass ball meant there was some remote possibility that the former host of summer was still alive. Her memories had been little help, such a scenario had never been witnessed by her before. Of all her sister spirits, Branna had always been the one most content to follow the Mother's Doctrine. Her memories proved just how many times she had relied on her former lover to bring her back to that path.

Branna had never voluntarily left a host until the Battle. There was no clue as to what the consequences would have been.

 _But even if Branna somehow re-entered her, which she_ definitely _didn't…how could she possibly have crawled out of Arendelle as sick and weak as Belle was after her attempt?_

But Theo was nowhere near as young as Belle had been at the time. She was also incorrigibly stubborn and insufferably resilient. In the back of her mind, she knew the most likely scenario was that Theo had simply burst into flame upon losing Branna and had drifted through the air as ashes while she had assumed her true form.

Elsa shuddered. She didn't want to even consider that.

A small part of her wanted to put this away, to stop searching so desperately in case her efforts proved futile. But Elsa knew that part was easily silence by the yearning curiosity of her ancient soul. The glass ball was cool and smooth as she picked it up. Her fingers traced the object obsessively, as if a clue hid in the breath that had blown this glass. Theo's breath. Elsa pressed her forehead to the ball, closing her eyes. The cool glass on her skin felt like the hint of a lost memory. She had never wanted to accept the death. But perhaps that was the only way to move on?

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the doors to the throne room slamming open. Reba raced inside, panting, her brand-new black tunic that Anna had insisted the foreign girl take wrinkled and askew from her exertions.

Elsa stood quickly. "Reba? What is it?" She'd never known the little spy to run, even for fun. Reba was an intensely serious child and maintained a placid calm at all times that even Elsa was in awe of. The red-haired child steadied herself, bowing quickly before looking Elsa in the eye.

"We have a bit of a situation, Queen Elsa…" Reba said, still catching her breath.

"What?"

The girl bit her lip, contemplating her words. "Well…she's back."

Elsa stiffened. "Who?" She asked, even though every part of her being already knew the only person Reba would inform her of so uncharacteristically. The glass ball in her hands creaked as she squeezed it tightly.

"Theonia."

* * *

Her footsteps were icing over but she had no time to spare. Elsa stalked through the corridors towards the front door, her pace never slowing as her thoughts raced through her mind. Theo was here, Theo was alive after all, she was among a crowd of citizens who blamed her for everything going wrong…

The little glass ball in her hand had turned a swirling red color as Elsa gripped it so tightly she was surprised it wasn't breaking. Expanding the sleeves of her ice gown, she stored the glass ball in the customary spot she'd taken to carrying it in: a hidden pocket inside the billowing sleeve of her left arm.

"Queen Elsa?" Elsa's head snapped up, finding Gerda following her carefully but quickly, her dumpy form trotting delicately on her newly-formed icy trail.

The Queen slowed, but only fractionally, her heart racing under her calm exterior. "I have to go down to the square." She told the old nursemaid and castle caretaker. "There is something I must see to immediately."

Gerda nodded in understanding as they crossed into the atrium, passing the bottom of the grand staircase. "Shall I inform Princess Anna?"

"Inform me of what?"

Elsa stopped dead, Gerda only managing to avoid ramming into her by sliding left on the ice and waving her arms for balance.

Anna's head poked over the balcony one flight up the stairs, just outside the door to the nursery.

Something clenched in Elsa's gut and she tried not to grimace.

"Elsa?" Anna asked her, peering at her. "What's wrong?" Elsa sighed. She never could hope to fool her sister.

"There's some civil unrest down by the square." Elsa replied, hating herself for the half-truth she was telling. But she couldn't lie to her sister again.

"Oh no, again?" Anna sighed, leaning on the banister. Her hair was up in a tight bun on the back of her head, safe from small grabby fingers. "What is it this time?"

"People are getting restless." Elsa replied, taking a moment to will the ice trail behind her out of existence. Only half of it obeyed. "Perhaps someone raised the price of grain again."

Anna squinted at her suspiciously but thankfully, showed no interest in the apparent dispute. "Going to go send some ice in to cool them off?" She quipped tiredly, laying her top half completely on the railing.

Elsa smiled tightly. "Hopefully not." Anna knew how much she worried about the people getting proper resources for affordable prices. Market disputes had been common since the Battle and Elsa and her guards had often needed to step in to alleviate or dispel tensions.

Her sister waved her off, turning back towards the nursery when the howls of her two-day-old daughter could be heard loud and clear. Elsa winced as the deepest emotion she could fathom pulled at the bottom of her heart, urging her towards the sound. Sophie had inherited her mother's lungs but thankfully, not her father's indignation. She rarely cried but when she did, it was painful to all.

Wrestling herself away from the need to rush up the stairs, Elsa turned away and found Gerda waiting respectfully at her elbow, one arched eyebrow the only indication that she knew something else was going on. Elsa continued on her way, the faithful nursemaid following.

They crossed silently out of the atrium and into the entrance halls. "Gerda, keep Anna away from the square for the next hour." Elsa instructed the older woman in a low voice. "She is not to be outside the castle gates."

The nursemaid bowed reverently and for once, did not question Elsa's order. "Yes, my queen." She hurried off the way they'd just come.

Elsa continued on her way, trying her hardest to keep the floor clear. She didn't notice the ice climbing every window in her path.

Reba met her in the courtyard, having exited the palace through one of her seemingly innumerable escape routes. She seemed uncomfortable moving around the castle among the staff.

"Any developments?" Elsa asked her as they moved down the steps and stalked across the sparsely populated courtyard.

Reba glanced up as a shadow passed over them. Agog, the girl's loyal raven was circling overhead in lazy clock-wise spirals. "No blood yet…" Reba commented drily.

Elsa only doubled her pace, leaving the little spy to jog after her.

They left the palace and made their way down the tight streets towards the growing sound of unrest from the marketplace. Even with the urgency of the situation, Elsa couldn't help but wince at the fact that more than half of the buildings they were passing were still made from ice and not wood or stone. The scars were still so deep, would she be able to save Theo?

Reba placed a gentle hand on her wrist but whether it was meant to be reassuring or merely a directional tug, Elsa could not tell. They slipped between two ice buildings and emerged at the royal platform raised slightly above the marketplace. Elsa had given many speeches from here and supervised several events at the market in the past few months. But instead of the usual muted respect awaiting her, now there was an air of anger and chaos swirling around the square.

Captain Wulfric of the Arendelle Guards was waiting for them on the platform. As they climbed the few stairs, Elsa did a quick scan of the square and noticed several guards strategically positioned around the edges of a rapidly shifting crowd surrounding her ice dragon statue.

"Your Majesty," Wulfric bowed as he noticed them, seeming unsurprised that they had arrived so quickly. He had come to generally ignore the presence or absence of Reba at the Queen's side. Reba was quite good at making herself invisible when she chose. "The witch has returned." Wulfric informed them as they all stepped up to the railing of the platform. "The crowd has doubled in size since her arrival and we fear they may become violent if the trespasser is not apprehended…"

"Where is she?" Elsa demanded, frantically scanning the crowd. There were too many people to pick anyone out. None had seemed to notice her arrival as they were too focused on their target to pay her any attention.

The three of them scanned the mob silently for several seconds, Elsa's pulse climbing as the shouts grew louder with each passing moment and the crowd swelled with new perpetrators of violence.

"There." Reba finally said, pointing.

The mob was thickest towards the enormous ice dragon sculpture that Elsa had created during the first market ceremony. The crowd was circling a figure that was moving rapidly, ducking under outstretched arms and blocking attempts made to grab them. No matter how many people came forward, the figure seemed to easily ward them off, slipping through grasping fingers and past shoulders like water.

"Kill her!" Someone cried and many others took up the call. "Burn the witch!"

Elsa even spotted a few of her own guards forsaking their posts to join the mob. Theo's attack had not been easily forgotten by the Arendelle Guards. But it was the people lighting torches that concerned her the most.

She caught a glimpse of the darting cloaked figure, a head of raven-black hair whipping to follow every bodily motion. A hand closed upon the hair, yanking the figure so hard they stumbled. The crowd swelled.

"ENOUGH!" Elsa cried out, her amplified voice shaking the market stands as she let the tiniest bit of her true voice bleed through. The mob stilled, turning nearly as one to see their queen. One pair of eyes was quicker than the rest, finding Queen Elsa's icy blue eyes even before she'd finished speaking. Over the heads of the dozens of townspeople crying for blood, the eyes of Isen locked with those of Theonia.

A familiar, potent rush of lightning crashed through Elsa along with a realization: _my Guardian has come…_ she froze in place, stilled by the presence of the one who must protect her.

Time came to a standstill. Nothing existed but them. The distance between them seemed all at once nothing and worlds apart. Even with her muscles and powers locked in complete paralysis, calm such as Elsa had not ever known in her life surrounded her and sunk deep into her core.

 _She's alive._ Up until this moment, she had not let herself truly believe. _She's here._

Her eyes never leaving the queen's, Theo leapt into the air, effortlessly clearing the heads of the people around her. She rolled once as she hit the stones, effortlessly getting her feet back under her and dashing forward. Within seconds, she was at the base of the platform. She sprung up upon it easily, her feet already moving before she'd really landed.

Captain Wulfric stepped in front of the Queen, one hand already moving to grasp his sword. But before it was even half-way drawn, a hand forced his back down, another pushing firmly into his chest, sending him sprawling backwards. Reba tensed beside Elsa but took a measured step back only, her green eyes flashing with intrigue.

Theonia stopped alone before the Queen, close enough to touch her, close enough for Elsa to hear her labored breath. The crowd was silent, waiting for the Queen to take her down, to freeze her solid or blow her clear away.

But it was Theo who moved first, for while she stared into those eyes, Else was unable to move. She knelt at Elsa's feet, drawing her blade. Lowering her head reverently, Theo laid her sword across her palms.

"My queen, my winter, my Isen…" Theo murmured, gently drawing the blade across her forearm. Blood dribbled down her skin. "I pledge myself, the blood in my veins, every muscle in my body, every breath I take, and the blade in my hands to you. Isen, goddess of the Winter…" She drew a tiny circle on Elsa's wrist with the blood, Elsa shivering at the light touch. Her muscles unlocked, her powers flooded back to her and the air around her suddenly shimmered with delicate ice crystals.

Theo smiled, one corner of her mouth turning up. "Elsa…it's good to see you again." She stood, Elsa's hand still in hers. She dropped it slowly, seeming only to do so so that she could slide her sword back into its sheath.

Elsa could only stare at her. The former host of summer looked so different and yet so little had changed. Her hair had grown out. It fell unevenly against her shoulders and framed her face in a way Elsa had never seen before. She still wore Garret's old clothes but they seemed to fit her better now. A long cloak was tied about her shoulders, a small bag and the Guardian's sword dangled from her hips.

But her face seemed softer, less tense than it had been when she had carried Branna's soul around with her. Her eyes were no longer the piercing, horrifying red color they had been when she was the fire host. Now they were grey, dark like cooled ashes. Her smile was unforced and just a bit mischievous. And directed entirely at her.

Elsa took a single step towards Theo.

And slapped her right across her smiling face, hard.

Theo's face turned away but she did not stumble under the force of the blow. "I deserved that…" Elsa heard her mutter quietly.

Elsa wanted to hug her. Or hit her again, she wasn't quite sure which. "seven months…" Elsa snarled quietly. "Give me one good reason why?" She'd thought about this moment, the possibility of this miracle every day since their battle. But now that it was here, staring her in the face with that same grin, she didn't know what she felt anymore.

Theo stared down at her arm, where the blood from her bonding cut still bled from her skin.

"I have none." She said in such a way that Elsa knew she understood how deeply her presence here affected everyone. "I only have this promise:" Theo continued, "I mean neither you nor Arendelle harm. I have returned to repent for my sins, to protect you as your Guardian."

Elsa didn't know what to do, much less what to say. Everyone was still watching them, confounded by the display of chivalry the object of their rage was currently displaying. The moment was broken however, when Wulfric came forward, his blade drawn and held at Theo's throat. The crowd murmured in conflict and a few cried out in approval. Theo didn't even twitch.

"Don't!" Elsa shouted reflexively.

A look of confusion passed over her Captain's face but he took a step back. "My Queen? Give the word and I will slay her." Theo's eyes darted to the Queen's but she had no apparent reaction to her impending doom.

The crowd shuffled uneasily and murmured darkly, clearly desiring this outcome.

Elsa bit her lip to keep herself from shouting again. She should execute her. Any other ruler would when faced with an angry mob such as this and the criminal in question at sword-tip right in front of them. But she couldn't. It was not physically possible for her to utter those words. Duty demanded that which her heart could not allow. She was stuck.

As Elsa's silence dragged, Theo fell to her knees at the Queen's feet, her head touching the ground.

"I understand if you wish me dead. It is only fitting given my misdeeds against your kingdom." Her voice carried far beyond the platform, across the curious stares of the crowd. She drew her sword again, making Wulfric flinch but made no move to wield it. Instead, she let the blade clatter to the ground, far enough away that she could not reach it. "But for my last request, I ask only for this: test me before I am to be killed. I will receive whatever punishment you see fit without making a sound, without a single complaint or tear. In this way, I hope to prove myself worthy of both you and of Arendelle. If I can accomplish this, I request that my life be spared. And I will dedicate the rest of my existence to whatever service you wish of me."

Elsa could have smiled at her had the situation been less tense. This was a reasonable surrender; a plea for mercy and a second chance. She was repentant. To kill her now would be unjustifiably cruel. "There is no need to kill her Wulfric." She told her captain.

He looked at her, his sword falling away from Theo's neck. "Your Majesty?"

Elsa looked anywhere but at Theo, addressing her decree to the entire crowd. "She will serve her sentence in the castle as my personal servant and, if she proves agreeable, my knight. I will keep a close eye on her." It was unorthodox but it granted the protection Theo would need. A royal knight was a figure of respect. A royal knight could not by lynched by a mob.

Her gaze fell upon a vertical post to the left of center in the square. "But for her test, she will receive 22 public lashes for her transgressions."

Wulfric followed her gaze and nodded in consent. He hefted Theo up by her arm and gestured for several nearby guards to assist him. Elsa tried not to look but she caught sight of the tiniest hint of approval on Theo's face as the girl was dragged to the post. She bit her lip. Now she just had to hope that Theo could pass the test she had laid before her.

Another guard brought her a chair but she waved it away. She would not watch this as a spectacle.

Reba sidled back next to her, standing just behind the Queen's elbow. "This is wise of her." She said quietly, so only Elsa could hear. "Her sins are not easily forgiven. But if she can show everyone that she is a woman of honor and willing to endure punishment, perhaps they can begin to forgive her."

Elsa grunted quietly but offered no reply. Her own heart was still struggling to figure out where it stood in this whole mess.

The crowd murmured with equal parts uneasy and anticipation, a few even poked aggressively at Theo as she was escorted to the post but Wulfric and the guards kept them from doing anything more.

At the public whipping post, rope was procured from a nearby merchant and the Guardian was pushed roughly towards the post. Theo obliged without complaint or hesitation, removing her belt, satchel and cloak and placing them in the arms of a waiting guard. Then she grasped the hem of her tunic and lifted the material over her head, revealing yet another change Elsa was not prepared for. Elsa swallowed hard. Where before she had been merely slim, the new Guardian's body was taught and toned with lean muscle. Elsa felt her breath catch in her throat and her vision narrow considerably until all she seemed capable of acknowledging was the expanse of skin and the rippling power moving underneath. She was immensely glad Theo's back was to her. And that the soldiers had chosen not to remove her black breast band. The shirt joined the pile of Theo's things held by a staring and enraptured guard. Elsa's finger twitched in annoyance but the man busied himself with the Guardian's belongings after a pointed cough from Wulfric.

The captain took his position as Theo's hands were lifted above her head and secured to the post by another guard. True to her word, she offered no resistance. The crowd had shifted itself until they formed a mass around the edges of the whipping post, hungry for the punishment they craved.

Elsa tore her eyes from Theo's muscular back. "Begin." She ordered, after clearing her throat softly. "Count them aloud captain."

Wulfric took a long length of hardened rawhide from his lieutenant and set about winding it into loose loops. The crowd quieted instantly, all eyes and ears on the condemned.

The captain signaled his men back and flicked his wrist as he eyed the bound girl.

Elsa leaned forward, hands on the railing of the platform.

The queen flinched as the whip lashed out suddenly, snapping in the air before it was brought down with a crack upon golden skin.

Theo tensed but made no sound. An angry red welt appeared across her spine.

The crowd was silent as well, eagerly listening for any whimper of pain or sign of weakness from the woman. They were not rewarded.

Wulfric clenched his teeth. "One." He counted.

He raised the whip again, flicking his wrist to receive a reassuring snap from the end.

Elsa flinched along with Theo as the second lash was landed right along the same line as the first and a tickle of blood appeared. Still Theo made no sound.

"Two."

The third lash swiped hard against Theo's lower back, splitting the skin effortlessly. One could have heard a pin drop in the courtyard but no sounds came from the post. Several people in the crowd looked away.

"…Three."

It was only now that Elsa realized the extremity of her punishment. She had seen some of her guards punished similarly to this and even the toughest of them had not made it past 12 lashes without collapsing against the post, crying out in anguish. What was she thinking to believe that Theo could quietly take, let alone _survive_ 22 lashes? She could see the way Theo's knuckles clenched, the tension in her shoulders as she prepared herself for more whippings. Blood dripped steadily down her back. But her face was resolutely calm, her eyes closed in concentration as lash after lash fell upon her and not even a gasp left her lips. She wasn't going to give in, not even if she bled out. Twelve more of these passed before Elsa could bare it no longer.

"Enough!" She cried, ice streaking across the platform under her feet. Wulfric paused in his round-up for a fresh strike, looking nauseous but waiting for his queen's order. The crowd remained frozen, either so engrossed in the spectacle that they couldn't take their eyes off of the bleeding woman or so ashamed of the display of incredible resilience that they were witnessing that they stared at their feet in silent self-loathing. Theo's back was riddled with angry red lashes, many of which were split open and bleeding freely.

"That's enough captain," Elsa declared, trying to get a hold of herself. Her ice only thickened beneath her. Theo needed medical care to keep the lashes from getting infected, she needed ice to cool the burn of the whip. Anxious as she was, Elsa took a deep breath to steady her voice. "Untie her and…"

"No."

The quiet, level negative from the girl tied to the post turned the heads of everyone in the courtyard. Elsa felt the beams under her feet begin to split as her ice mercilessly crushed them.

"You ordered 22 lashes…" Theo said, her eyes on the ground. "I will receive them all." She was trembling but stood resolutely on her feet instead of letting her bonds support her. "I will make no sound."

The crowd began to murmur again but it was less murderous this time, as if many of them had become uncomfortable with the display but couldn't decide if they wanted to end it or not. Theo remained silent, staring blankly into the distance beyond the courtyard. If Elsa knew her at all, she was resolute. And she was honorable. If she was sentenced to 22 lashes, she would not quit until she got them all.

And Elsa was dying to talk to her alone as soon as possible.

Making eye contact with her captain, Elsa nodded. Wulfric grimaced but flicked the whip again. The hard rawhide hissed across Theo's skin but no other sound was heard.

"Sixteen." Wulfric continued, his voice flat and his eyes hard. Elsa knew he hated administering public whippings but he was the only man she had trusted to not be unnecessarily cruel with Theo.

True to his character, the remainder of Wulfric's lashings were quick and shallow. But the damage was visible to all.

As the 22nd lash fell upon her, Theo fell against her bonds, her chest heaving but not a single sound falling from her lips. Wulfric tossed the whip aside with disgust and knelt next to her, gently lifting her drooping eyelids and speaking softly to her.

The crowd was deathly still, every single one of them unexpectedly concerned about the woman they had all wanted dead mere minutes ago. Elsa straightened up, releasing a deep breath of her own. It was over. She descended the stairs from the now ruined ice-dripping platform, the crowd silently and respectfully parting as she walked towards Theo's slumped form. Wulfric bowed and backed away to leave Elsa and Theo alone at the post.

For a moment, Elsa just stared at the broken and bleeding girl before her. She had actually done it. With a flick of her wrist, a sharp icicle pierced the bonds and Theo fell to the ground in a silent, quivering heap. Her breathing slowed and she looked up at Elsa, her eyes shining in triumph.

Elsa wanted to hit her again. But this time, she could not bring herself to. Her face tight with the effort of not showing her current feelings, Elsa stretched out a hand toward the beaten girl.

"Come with me."

She took Theo's bloody, trembling hand and pulled her out of the crowd.

 **(end of part 1)**

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Guess who? Yep! I'm returning from hiatus after a very busy few months. But you know how it is with my updates. Also, this first chapter was getting way too long so I decided I'm posting my updates in parts because I'm sticking to my outline this time! Thank you everyone for being so supportive and for putting up with my weird update schedule. **  
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	3. Autumn's Changes (part 2)

**Chapter 1: Autumn's Changes (Part 2)**

No one dared to follow them from the market. Even Reba had slipped away on her own mission: to retrieve the Guardian's belongings and deliver them later no doubt. Elsa kept a tight grip on Theo's shaking hand, the injured woman taking slow, pained steps behind her as they made their way back to the palace. When Theo finally stumbled and almost fell to her knees an audible gasp of pain leaving her lips, Elsa swallowed hard and hefted the other girl's arm over her shoulders. Supporting the Guardian, she led them back to the palace. As soon as they were through the doors and finally alone within the dim entrance hall, Elsa conjured up an icy shirt for Theo.

"Don't…" Theo moaned as the cooling material fell against her bleeding and enflamed skin. "I need the pain to grow stronger." But she was nestling against the cold anyway, most of her weight leaning on Elsa's supportive shoulder. The heat coming off of her was comparable to that of Branna.

Elsa busied herself with thickening the shirt, adding more layers between them. "I would feel better if you wore it." Her face was burning. She didn't know if it was because of her shame about the whipping or the alluring sight of that expanse of golden skin… "…I'm so sorry." Elsa said before that thought could go any further. She laid gentle hands on the ice. "I…I should have made him stop."

The woman shook her head. "No, you did the right thing. If you hadn't punished me, you would appear weak." Theo tried to stand up straighter but winced and hunched her back again. "And now I've proven my devotion both to you and Arendelle…" She said, smiling through gritted teeth.

Elsa grabbed Theo by the arm to help her stand upright but Theo gently waved her off. "If this is how you go about proving yourself, I think I have fair reason to worry." Elsa told her, her voice shaking.

"I have a lot to atone for."

A long silence passed between them, broken only by Theo's ragged breathing as she hugged herself tightly.

This was the moment Elsa had been waiting for. They were alone, out of public sight and earshot. A thousand questions bubbled to the forefront of her mind but the one that made it through to break the silence was unfortunately, the most accusatory. "Why are you here?" Elsa asked.

Theo was silent, rolling her neck experimentally as if mentally checking her range of motion after her beating. There was a large discolored mark on her shoulder, almost as if a burn had healed improperly there.

Elsa reached out to touch it but drew her hand back when Theo turned to look at her. "What happened to you?" She asked, much more softly.

A small smile broke through the pain on the Guardian's face. "So much. Do you have time for a long story?"

Elsa felt like she wanted to smile but the roiling torrent of emotions within her was already causing a light snowfall to dust at Theo's shoulders. "I will make the time." She finally said, taking Theo gently by the arm and leading her deeper into the palace. "But first, we need to get you fixed up. Properly." She snapped, cutting Theo off from clearly wanting to protest treatment. "I don't care if you are the Guardian now, leaving yourself to heal without at least a salve wont help anybody, least of all you." They started to climb the stairs, Elsa's hand hooked under Theo's elbow to assist her when necessary.

The Guardian looked up at her as they crested the first landing. "…you…you're taking this rather well."

Elsa froze in place, her heart hammering. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…you just found out I'm 'back from the dead' and that I'm charged with protecting you for the rest of my natural life and you're already worried about my health."

The coy smile Elsa had been expecting to accompany that statement was missing, the Guardian's face was instead a soft, contemplative mask that bore into the Queen's soul.

The silence returned, but this time, it was laced with uncertainty rather than promise. The challenge was redirected back to her. And Elsa had no idea what to say.

"Elsa?"

Both of them whipped around at the soft voice calling from down the hall. Elsa's eyes widened as she took in the disheveled form of her sister, stepping quietly out of the nursery and staring at them in question.

"I thought I heard your voice…how did…" Anna caught sight of Theo and peered around her sister for a better look. Elsa was rigid.

Anna's gaze drifted back and forth between them: the stranger hunched over in pain and wearing an ice shirt and the immobile queen. "Elsa? What happened? Who's…?" But her eyes lit up in recognition as Theo looked up. Anna's eyes flared, her whole form seeming to bristle and glow with her newfound intensity. "You." They had never met, but from the stories told about the Battle of the Seasons as well as Elsa's own testimony, Anna could have painted a startlingly accurate portrait of the former host of summer. Assuming of course, that Anna could paint.

Likewise, the new Guardian had known Anna's face for a long time, but for an entirely different reason. Theo took a gentle step away from Elsa, leaving a clear path between her and Anna. A small smile lit up her eyes. "Hello, Anna."

That was all she managed before Anna tackled her around the middle, both of them crashing to the floor.

"Anna no!" Elsa cried. But Theo did not move, she allowed Anna to straddle her without a fight and punch her repeatedly, her expression blank and accepting as Anna pummeled her.

Elsa grabbed her sister around the middle and tried to haul her off of the already battered Guardian but Anna had always been the stronger of the two and easily struggled free to continue her assault.

"Why…are…you…here…again?" Anna asked between punches, her rage apparent in each blow. She knew how Theo had destroyed their city, how she had sent Hans to kill her, and (most importantly to Anna), how she had hurt and confused her beloved elder sister so much that the queen was forced to keep more and more secrets from her. Each livid punch found it's mark and the face she had harbored so much resentment towards for months wearily accepted her beating.

Elsa finally got Anna off by sending ice crawling down her sister's back. Anna shrieked and leapt off of Theo, dancing slightly as the ice melted against her skin.

"Elsa!" The princess rounded on her sister, fists clenched long hairs tumbling out of her bun. "What was that for?!"

"I didn't want you to kill her!" Elsa said, walking towards her with her palms up. "please, she's been through a lot today."

"What do you care?" Anna asked, wiping the blood from her knuckles and glaring down at Theo's beaten form. "After what she did?"

"Anna…" Elsa said softly. "Please…"

Something in her voice must have communicated a deeper meaning to her sister because Anna deflated instantly. She looked down at her victim, something like regret in her eyes.

Theo slowly sat up, blood dripping down her face from her nose and numerous cuts around her lips and eyebrows. A particularly nasty one split her upper lip and ran across her left cheek. Grunting and wincing, she rose slowly to her feet.

"You have a mean right hook, Princess Anna…" She said, sounding more than a bit delirious. After all the blood she'd lost today and the physical abuse she'd seen, Elsa was amazed the Guardian could stand at all.

"Elsa…?" Anna sounded confused again, her eyes flicking uncertainly between Theo and her sister. She clearly wanted to apologize for the beating but wasn't sure if she _should_.

Elsa took her sister's hand. The one less covered in Theo's blood. "Anna…this is Theonia…the former host of the fire goddess and…" she took a deep breath. "the current Guardian."

Anna turned to her, surprised. Elsa had told her much about the ways of the Council, including the occupation and fate of Garret. "Guardian? But doesn't that mean…?" They turned back to Theo but she wasn't there. The woman had limped towards the open door Anna had emerged from and entered the room. A soft series of gurgles and quiet yowls came from inside.

Elsa quickly followed her, pausing at the threshold of the newly-minted nursery. This had been hers and Anna's first room when they were born. The room had large windows with thick white curtains to aid in midday naps or nighttime feedings. The walls were a soft blue and covered in the Arendelle crest as well as several softer scenes such as snowscapes and forests crawling with friendly animals. The old rocking chair that Gerda and their mother had rocked them in was seated in the corner of the room, near the window and the cabinets and tables had recently been cleaned, repaired and restocked in anticipation of the first child born to the palace in over 20 years.

But Theo's attention had been captivated by the bassinet in the center of the room. She stepped towards it slowly, her eyes never leaving the tiny hands reaching out from it. A soft cry from the bassinet was immediately cut short as Theo stepped closer.

Elsa drew a sharp breath as Theo's black eyes momentarily returned to the red hue she had feared and loved so much when Theo had been a host. She shivered but did not feel herself go immobile.

Elsa knew what this was. Bonding. Theo had recognized her niece for her true form.

"Sophie…"

Anna dashed into the room at the mention of her daughter, her whole body stiffening as she saw Theo slowly approaching the bassinet. Elsa lunged forward, only barely managing to grab hold of her sister before she could tackle the Guardian again.

Theo paid them no mind, instead taking slow, limping steps towards the child.

Elsa held her sister down as Anna violently tried to rip free. "Get off me Elsa!" Anna screamed, practically sobbing. "She's going to hurt my baby!"

Anna managed to free one arm and Elsa tightened her hold, even going as far as to wrap her legs around her sister's vastly stronger form. "Trust her." Elsa whispered in her sister's ear. Something in the way she spoke resonated with her sister and Anna stilled, watching with labored breath.

As the Guardian reached the bassinet, Elsa felt her muscles lock as the ancient ritual of Guardian bonding to a host began once again. Theo leaned over the bassinet, her face filling with wonder as she took in the sight of the two-day old baby who had once been a presence inside her soul.

Sophie was still and silent as her Guardian gazed upon her. Theo's eyes glistened with unshed tears of pain and anger, but they were monstrously dwarfed by the expression of pure love dominating her face. "Hello Branna." She dipped her finger in the nasty cut Anna had opened up next to her lips and gently drew a circle with her blood on Sophie's forehead. "I've come back." She whispered conspiratorially.

The blood faded into the baby's skin as she giggled in delight. Sophie smiled and stretched one chubby hand towards Theo's face. A tiny flame appeared in her palm, flickering steadily.

Theo laughed as her tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. "You couldn't get rid of me that easily…" She took the child's tiny hand with infinite care and began to whisper the words of bonding as if it were a fantastical bedtime story for the young child's ears alone.

Sophie's mother watched with curious, startled eyes but said nothing.

The plan would not work if another was protecting the Queen…

Cutting through the assembled crowd, Arturo ducked into an empty alley, sprinting towards the city gate. Upon reaching the exit to the city, he drew his hood up over his crimson hair and forced himself to slow to a walk, not wanting to attract unwanted attention. His steps over the bridge and under the open gate were excruciating and he dug his nails into his arm to keep himself from taking off at a sprint again. Thankfully, not many people were leaving the city this time of day so as soon as he was a good distance from Arendelle's gate, Arturo dashed into the cover of the wood, his cloak flowing behind him. His feet pounded the uneven, lumpy soil, his breath rasping in his throat.

This was not good. This was the absolute worst development they could have seen.

The Guardian was the reason the attempt had failed last time. And with this one being so strong…

He whistled two piercing notes and his horse cantered towards him from among the trees. Without missing a beat, Arturo swung himself into the saddle and was racing off towards his camp. He had to get a messenger hawk back to Weselton. The Duke had to know about this complication.

He was already composing his coded message as he cantered up the hill: _Mission failed. Winter and new child are protected. The Guardian has returned. Will wait for further instructions…_

They would have to start all over now. With the Guardian protecting the Queen indefinitely, none of their attempts could hope to prevail this way…

Arturo groaned to himself as his horse took the mountain path, slowing on the steep, rocky dirt. _This means the Duke will get_ him _involved…_ They'd all been hoping to avoid that.

Master spy though he was, Arturo failed to notice the man who had been following him since the city slip into the shadows of the forest, tailing him easily on foot as his horse struggled up the mountain.

Elsa was at her wits end. The sun had set, Theo was still inside the palace and Anna hadn't killed her yet.

"Stop pacing, you'll warp the floorboards apart if you keep it up…"

She paused, the long-absent voice and dry humor cutting her deeper than expected. Theo looked up at her from her spot crouched next to the hearth in the sitting room, her black eyes getting lost in the flickering light. Elsa felt her heart clench. From this angle, Theo looked exactly the same as she had all those months ago. Before the Battle. Before the absence.

"I just…" Elsa looked away, unable to keep looking at the unfamiliar eyes and realized that her powers had been alternatively freezing and thawing the floorboard under her feet as she paced agitatedly. She took a deep breath and willed her ice away. "I can't believe you're really here…after all this time."

Theo smiled softly, one corner of her mouth curling. "To be honest, neither can I." She shifted somewhat uncomfortably under Elsa's continued gaze, wincing slightly as her clothes scrapped across the tender skin on her back.

A new shirt had — thankfully — been procured.

Gerda had taken one look at Theo and dragged her off to have a proper salve applied to her wounds, not questioning the nature of the beating or the reason for it. In fact, she had been the only person in the castle so far to wholeheartedly accept the new Guardian under their roof. When Reba had appeared with the Guardian's cloak, belt, sword, bag, and old shirt, she had merely handed them off without a word and melted back into the shadows, off to whatever enigmatic business she had.

Anna had been strangely silent since the encounter at the nursery. She stared at Theo all through a tense dinner like she were some kind of trap waiting to be sprung but with an expression that said she was unsure if she should be wary of said trap. Captain Wulfric had needed both Elsa and Anna to reassure him that the Guardian could be left alone with the royal family. Even Kristoff had not been pleased to see his childhood acquaintance again. He hadn't said a word to the new Guardian, instead pulling Elsa aside for his comments while Theo was being doctored. "She comes back here after 7 months and does what? Does she really think a whipping will make people forget what she did here?"

And Elsa…she had not left Theo's side. Not even while she had been treated for her wounds. There was some kind of magnetic pull working on her, drawing her towards the woman. She wasn't sure if this was good or bad. The two of them had not spoken much since their brief conversation in the palace entrance. But they had spent less than 2 minutes apart since they had left the marketplace.

Theo sighed heavily, drawing Elsa back to the present. "It has been…one hell of a journey for me these past few months." She drew into herself further and Elsa couldn't help but notice a tiny shiver run through her form.

"Are you cold?" She asked, mentally checking her powers to make sure she wasn't lowering the room temperature unbearably. Her cold obeyed, the room was warm.

Theo stubbornly shook her head. "No." Her gaze softened slightly. "…maybe. Where did my cloak end up?" She glanced around but her things had been left with Gerda in the infirmary, several doors away from the sitting room.

Elsa grabbed a blanket from the couch and offered it to the woman. "It must be odd to feel the cold now. After going so long with Branna protecting you from it."

Their hands brushed ever so slightly as she handed the blanket off. Elsa felt the distinct bone of a knuckle iced with the barest hint of her frost before she snatched her hand away.

A ghost of a smile flickered across Theo's face like firelight. She pulled the blanket around her in one smooth motion, keeping it well clear of the fire.

"It's no odder than actually being under a roof." The Guardian commented. "It has been so long since I've lived _inside_ or even had a proper fire." Theo stretched her hand towards the flames. The fire curled forward and around her fingers as if begging to be touched. But Theo sadly pulled her hand back as the orange flames licked at her skin. "They recognize me…but they are not mine anymore…"

Elsa could feel her ice starting to creep towards the fireplace. It was getting increasingly hard to will her powers to stop manifesting. There was just too much here between them in this room. She wished desperately for Anna. Or even Kristoff. Hell, even Hans. Anyone to provide a buffer between them while they had this conversation. But they were alone. Terrifyingly alone in a dim room. She clenched her fists as the fireplace began to hiss from the proximity of her ice. "Why are you here?" She asked again, trying not to sound angry this time.

Theo nestled deeper into her blanket. "I'm not planning to attack Arendelle again, Elsa." She almost sounded like she was joking.

"I'm sorry…" Theo apologized, wrapping the blanket tightly around her as this time Elsa actually felt the temperature drop. "I know this cant be easy for you, seeing me like this when the last time we saw each other I was trying to destroy everything you loved…" Her gaze spoke volumes but she was unable to meet Elsa's eyes.

Elsa felt an icicle take form on the wall behind her; out of sight but painfully sharp. "You just disappeared…"

Theo's gaze darkened. "I nearly died."

Elsa was silent, waiting for her to continue.

"You don't seem particularly surprised to see I'm alive." Theo finally said, looking up at the Queen uneasily.

Elsa's only response was to pull the glass ball from her sleeve, where it had been waiting since that morning. She held it out to Theo.

The girl's eyes lit up. "Ahh…I remember you…" She gently took it from the Queen, running her fingers over the changing rivulets of color embedded into the fine glass. She examined it delicately and yet with intense focus, as if rediscovering a lost treasure she had thought destroyed.

An unwelcome comparison crossed Elsa's mind. It was the same way Theo had once looked at her ice.

She spoke loudly to cover up the cracking sound of her ice tearing into the floorboards behind her. "I found it the other night. It was the only hope I had that you were…" Theo looked up at her and Elsa's voice died in her throat. "What happened to you?"

Theo placed the orb down next to the fire, where the crackling flames sent skittering bursts of light across the surface. The whole display resembled the northern lights. The Guardian sat on her heels, her back to Elsa as she stared into the fire. "Branna left me." She began hollowly. "She sacrificed my life to try to stop you by casting herself free from me. My soul was torn in half, my skin burned, my eyes blinded. But the Mother saw fit to grant me mercy and she gave me enough strength to crawl out of Arendelle, to leave." She caressed the orb with one finger, casting a shadow across the dancing lights.

The Queen had to swallow hard before she could muster up her voice. "Where did you go?" Elsa asked.

"The only place I could: back to the temple." Theo replied. She looked up at the wall above the fireplace, where a large painting of Arendelle's harbor glistening in the sunlight was rendered. "It was there that I found my new calling…Garret reached out to me…telling me of the Mother's Final Command: a new Guardian to protect the Daughters. Well, the Daughters and the Son."

"So where have you been all this time?"

"The Mother's Sacred Grove. A spot even more secluded and unknowable than the temple. It is where the Guardian trains, and where we find our weapons. I trained for months, healing from my ordeals and preparing myself for my new place."

Elsa stepped closer to her, stopping just short of actually standing beside her. "But why come back now?"

Theo's hands were clenched and she examined her fists as if they were strange to her, powerful and unknowable. "I felt the birth of Sophie." She finally said. "It was like a wake-up call. I knew that I needed to be here…with her."

 _And with me._ That particular connotation of the Guardian's statement went unspoken by both of them. Theo turned slightly, looking up at Elsa. She didn't seem startled to find the Queen so close to her, rather she seemed to be studying her, looking for the reason.

Elsa stepped aside slightly, moving away from the firelight and the warmth. "What about Scara?" She found herself asking. "And Hans?"

Theo chuckled softly. "They'll be alright. I knew as soon as my training was complete, I would have to find Sophie…the girl I kept seeing in my dreams…Branna's new life."

Elsa said nothing but her arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

"I'm the only one who understands how difficult the power of summer can be to contain." Theo continued. "Sophie needs me to guide and protect her." She smiled. "Plus, Scara has proven she can more than handle Hans. In fact, I think she might have somehow managed to heal the schism between Life and Death…"

Elsa had to laugh at that statement but it came out sounding choked. Hans and Scara had become inseparable during their time in Arendelle. It had been fascinating to watch, actually.

"So you are staying." Elsa said quietly, her arms drawing tighter around her.

Theo nodded. "The spirits are changing…and with them, the legends." She stood silently, the fire casting her face in shadow. "The Guardian had to take on a new identity to be able to keep up with all of you. Between Hans becoming a host and you…well," she chuckled and Elsa felt herself flush deeply as Theo's eyes traveled her form. "…you being you…change was necessary." She continued to stare at Elsa, her eyes soft and warm as they watched her. "Isen would build herself a regal body…Branna always said she was proud and dignified." Her smile lifted just a bit more, slipping into charming territory. "Just like you." She took a small step forward, extending a hand towards the Queen.

Elsa stiffened, the temperature in the room dropping about twelve degrees in an instant. "What are you doing?"

Theo's smile faded. She raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Elsa wasn't even trying to hold her powers back now. Snow swirled around her protectively as she glared at Theonia. "You cant just come back in here, all smiles and apologies and expect me to just melt because you're here." Elsa fought to keep her voice from revealing just how true Theo had made that statement already. "How can I forget what you did? What you wanted to do?"

Theo was silent for a moment, allowing Elsa to collect herself, to let her speak. The snow seemed to swirl to avoid her as best it could in the few feet of space between them.

"You betrayed us…" Elsa continued, her voice low and angry. "you sent me away while you tried to destroy everything I loved. You tried to kill my sister."

Theo looked away from her, staring at the glass ball. "…any explanation I had for my actions died when Branna left me." She finally said. "I mistook your situation for a problem and I…thought I was doing right by my actions…"

Elsa let out a strained, disbelieving laugh. To her surprise, Theo dropped the blanket and fell to her knees at Elsa's feet, her head bowed. The snow stilled in the air, waiting.

"I am not asking you for forgiveness, Elsa." The Guardian said, her voice low but clear. "I don't deserve your forgiveness. I forsook that right when I tried to have Anna killed. You have no idea how hard it was for me to come back here, knowing that you'd never look at me the same." She looked up at Elsa, her eyes wide with desperation. "But I have to be here now. For Sophie. But I will do so in whatever capacity you see fit. If you wish to never see me again, I will do my work out of your sight, keeping my distance but always protecting you. If you want me to join the palace guards and become a servant of your will, I will do so. If you wish for me to take an indefinite vow of silence, you will never hear another word from these lips." She lowered herself so far that her forehead touched the cold wood of the floor. "I am willing to spend every single day that I am here working to even be considered worthy of your attention again."

Elsa took a deep breath and her snow faded from the air of the room. "And if I still think it right to acknowledge your presence?"

The Guardian's head shot up in surprise, black eyes locking on her own. "Elsa…"

"We kissed, Theonia. Twice." Saying it out loud seemed to make even the flames in the fireplace still.

A long silence stretched endlessly between them, compounded by the several feet between their bodies. But unlike the other silences of the day, this one felt insurmountable. Endless.

When Theo finally spoke, it was nothing Elsa had imagined she would say. "Elsa, whatever we thought we felt…it was just a myth."

Elsa blinked, hard. "Wh…what?"

Theo slowly stood, keeping her head down. "Branna and Isen were drawn to each other and now…" She shrugged. "Branna's gone. So's the connection."

Her stomach felt like it had been punctured. "So all that time…you felt…nothing?" Her powers were strangely vacant at the moment. It seemed that they had been startled into obscurity for once.

The Guardian drew a deep breath. "It doesn't matter what I felt when I was Branna's host." Theo replied gently. "I'm your Guardian now. A Guardian distances themselves from all worldly desires to keep their judgment clear. We have no human attachments to this world."

Elsa's hands were shaking but her frost was still absent. "But…even when we were…"

"A Guardian and a host can never be together Elsa." Theo said flatly, in such a way that instantly reminded Elsa of the days when they would bicker bitterly with one another.

"I am not a host." Elsa found herself snapping. "I never was."

"You are also not the Mother." Theo returned, in a tone of voice that Elsa found it hard to argue with. "These rules were made centuries ago for a reason, Elsa. We cannot break them all and expect nothing to happen." She stopped quite suddenly, looking at Elsa sidelong. Sighing softly, Theo closed her eyes. Her brow furrowed as if a twinge from her back had asserted itself. "I know this hurt you Elsa. Such a deep connection is not easily healed. Take it from me, that pain will one day fade and you will be able to find your husband and marry. You do not need to take my feelings into account. Only your own."

Elsa could feel a chill now. But it wasn't her powers manifesting again. This chill was deep within herself. "So…you…you're not here for…"

Theo opened her eyes. "I'm here for Sophie, the little girl who's burden I shared." She met Elsa's gaze levelly, but with no challenge in her eyes. "I will protect you as well, however you wish me to." She bowed her head once more. Submissive.

There was nothing more to say. Elsa found herself stepping back, the chill within her not quite leaving.

"If you are staying, it might take us some time to procure you a permanent bedroom." She said after a moment.

Theo seemed to relax slightly, glad that Elsa had at least accepted her presence in the castle. "I understand. I'll stay here for tonight." She crouched by the fire again, drawing the discarded blanket about her shoulders.

She looked so small silhouetted against the flames. "Are you sure?" Elsa asked. "You could share my…"

Theo's black eyes snapped up to hers, killing the request in Elsa's throat.

"I don't think that would be wise, my queen." The Guardian said.

The long silence returned.

Her nerves frayed, Elsa turned away, leaving the Guardian to her flames and her thoughts. At the door, she paused. "…Good night." She offered softly.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Theo's head rise slightly. "Good night…my Queen."

Without the sarcasm, it sounded wrong coming from Theo's lips.

Elsa slipped outside the sitting room, her chest feeling heavy. She leaned against the doorframe, struggling to breathe normally. Her cold came back to her then, not the heavy chill deep within her but the familiar sensation that had always been a part of her life. Fractals of ice twinkled around her, as if trying to cheer her up. But her mind was whirling too much to focus on them.

 _So you felt…nothing?_

 _It doesn't matter what I felt…_

She hadn't denied it. Theo hadn't said she felt nothing. Instead she had deflected, argued, fought back…

Her heart clenched. Perhaps there was something there after all.

The more rational part of Elsa's mind rejected this. Better to abandon all hope now. Leave the past in the past where it belonged. If Theo was going to be around so often, she'd best figure out her feelings and the way they were going to be around each other.

And as her Guardian had said…she needed a husband. If Arendelle were to survive, she'd need an heir.

"Elsa…"

She opened her eyes, only slightly surprised to see Anna standing before her.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked, her concern for her sister apparent even under her fatigue.

Out of reflex, Elsa nodded. But she knew it would never fool her sister.

"Were you just talking to her?"

Elsa nodded again.

"What did she say?"

"…she's going to stay." Elsa finally said. "For Sophie. She wants to protect her and help her master her powers."

Anna frowned. "So she's going to be living with us?" Elsa said nothing, preparing herself for her sister's indignation. "The woman who tried to have me KILLED is going to be _living_ with us?" Anna continued, her voice rising slightly.

"And tutoring Sophie."

Anna threw her hands up, but thankfully, did not shout. She huffed instead and her brow came down over her eyes like it did whenever she worried too much.

Elsa drew her into a hug, trying to soothe her agitated sister. Anna relaxed against her, but only slightly.

"I don't like this, Elsa…" She mumbled.

Elsa stroked her hair. "Neither do I." She admitted. "But it is the best course of action. As much as I want to help Sophie, I don't know anything about having the power to control fire." She pulled away from her sister, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Theo is the only person alive who understands what that is like. She can help Sophie learn control."

Anna bit her lip. Elsa knew her sister wanted nothing more than for her daughter to fully embrace who she was. To not have to live in isolation and fear as Elsa and Anna had for so long. Here was a perfect opportunity to ensure that. It was just wrapped in very inconvenient emotional baggage for them both.

Elsa waited for her sister to collect her thoughts. Anna huffed after several seconds of silent deliberation, finally turning to her sister with new-mother strain in her eyes. Her question was one Elsa had been expecting. "But do you trust her, Elsa?"

The Queen's response was immediate. "Yes."

Anna raised a questioning eyebrow. "So…you've forgiven her then? For everything she did?"

Elsa hadn't been expecting that question. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, the ancient part of her knew without a shadow of a doubt that if she were to open the doorway at this moment, she would find her Guardian waiting in the shadows, overhearing everything they were saying. That same part of her ached for that presence, for the Guardian to chase away the metaphorical chill of loneliness that still occasionally gnawed at her soul. But in her very mortal heart, the chill was still very real.

"No."


End file.
